After a great party on Friday and welcome reception, getting boat and crew sorted, we set out on leg 1 right on time. It was a picture perfect day, blue skies and about 15 k of wind for the start. Most boats hoisted kites for the first leg out of the harbor. We decided it would be better to stay on whites, had our #3 genoa up to the first turn, passing about 10 boats at the first turn left around protection island. Winds built to around. 18 k and we kept going fast and fat. Tacking up the beach, just staying outside the 15 feet depth line made our way towards the finish. Kotuku came awfully close, showing us what their anker roller looked like nearly ending our endeavor early. Another close encounter with night runner shortly thereaftter had Pierre jump out of the way when tier bowsprit seemed to take out his knee just inches inside the pushpit. Disaster avoided by the breadth of a hair. After cooling down for a few more tacks we came up on port to another boat, ducked and kept going only to end up having to duck Tantivy. Well we tried hard, but the boat being overpowered by a gust and our mainsheet guy Tony battling with a knot in the mainsheet we were unable to turn down. Don yelled to them: we can't do it, you tack...! and so they did, close call number 3, we are alive to race another day.
Lots more tacks followed, seeing raven high and dry left us rethinking our strategy of going close to shore and make some good calls instead. We sailed as fast and Hightower as we could, changing eventually up to our #2 and then going to #1 shortly before the end of the leg. We finished just behind Havoc, ending up a 3rd in our division.
A great day to be on the water, perfect conditions and lots of excitement.
We live to race another day - comox will be our next destination.
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